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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · bass · present · key · mine · mouse · rush · dip

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bass — the fish
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bass — low music
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. present — there
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. key — in music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. present — a gift
  20. mine — for digging
  21. march — the month
  22. present — the time now
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com